The Definition of Retro Games

One of my favorite parts of EGLX, the game expo Rachel and I visited in Canada in 2018, was the aisles of arcade cabinets that were set up in the middle of the main room for guests to enjoy. Those retro games were some of the most popular attractions throughout the weekend.

What do you consider to be a retro game? Is there a universal threshold that games have to pass until they are considered retro? Do you consider games from certain consoles as retro, or is any game older than ten, fifteen, or twenty years retro?

Retro games are held up as a pinnacle of gaming, games that were classics or are ripe with nostalgia for gamers of today’s day and age. While mechanics and graphics are outdated, retro games still find enthusiastic players. Emulators, virtual consoles, mini classic consoles, and even the original consoles and games are played to keep those retro games alive.

There are even games that emulate the retro style. Despite how far graphics have come in the past several years, the success of games mimicking the 16-bit art style have been a hit. Take a look at Cuphead and its old-school art style resembling cartoons from decades ago.

To me — if we’re talking in Nintendo terms — retro games are probably games from the Nintendo 64 era and before, maybe even the GameCube games. There are definitely some favorites from the SNES console that I bought several times over on various virtual consoles so I can continue to experience them again. Over on our Twitch channel, Rachel and I had played the SNES version of Disney’s The Lion King from Steam as one of the first games we were attempting, and I’m currently in the middle of playing Donkey Kong Country on the SNES Classic. Those to me are retro games just as arcade cabinets are nowadays.

I wonder how long it will take before Nintendo Switch games are considered retro?

What do you consider retro games? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

Follow Kris on her main blog!

Follow Rachel on her main blog!

Copyright

All content on this website is copyrighted to Kristen Poli & Rachel Poli, Double Jump. All rights reserved. No part of this website including images and text may be copied or reproduced anywhere without the written content of the owners/creators, Kristen Poli & Rachel Poli.